Tobacco-dropper



(No Model.)

M. K. BRUBAKER.V

` TOBACCO DROPPBB.' No. 316,601. Patented Apr. 28, 1885.

WSV/5M Y .fitter-my Partnr MARTIN K. BRUBAKER, OF MOUNT JOY, PENNSYLVANIA.

TOBACCO- DROPPER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 316,601, dated April 287 1885.

(No model.)

To all whom it may concern,.-

Be it known that I, MARTIN K. BRUBAKER, a citizen of the United States, residing at Mount Joy, in the county of Lancaster and State of Pennsylvania, have invented new and useful Improvements in Tobacco-Droppers, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to devices for lowering and automatically releasing bundles or hands of tobacco, bags of grain, and othermaterials.

It consists in the combination of a looped cord, chain,or wire having a detachable end, with a device to which the other end of said cord is secured, and devices which automatically free said detachable end when the loopy reaches the floor, for the purpose of disengaging the bag or bundle therefrom.

The said invention further consists, more specifically, in the combination of a hollow weighted casing having a key-hole slot in its upper part, and inclosing an upwardly-springpressed plunger operating behind said slot with a cord chain or wire having one end secured to the lower end of said casing, and having the other end provided with a knot and ferrule or equivalent device which is adapted to engage with the walls of said slot, and to be freed automatically by the action of said plunv ger, substantially as hereinafter set forth.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 represents a side View of the device embodying my invention, the detachable end of the cord being engaged. Fig. 2 represents avertical section on the linem moi' Fig. 2, the cord not being shown, and the plunger being in its normal position. Fig. 3 represents a detail view in elevation of the casing, taken from the side opposite to that shown in Fig. l.

The same letters of reference designate the same parts in the several figures.

A designates a suspending-cord,which is attached to a heavy hollow casting or casing, B, by means of an eye, b, at the upper end of the latter. This casing consists of two long shells or sections,B Bwhich are curved into trough shape and held together edge to edge by a bolt, b. These shells havein their upper ends the aforesaid eye Z2. At the lower end of said casing is another eye, b2, formed in lugs, which extend downward from said castings. To this eye b2 one end of a short cord, O, is att-ached,

the other end thereof being provided with a knot or enlargement covered by a conoidal ferrule, O.

In each ofthe shells or sections B BZ (near the upper end thereof) is a key-shaped slot, D, the large end of said slot being uppermost. These slots are directly opposite each other7 and their upper ends are large enough to allow said ferrule to be passed entirely through said casing. This may obviously be accomplished from either side. The long lower parts, d, of these slots are too narrow to allow said ferrule to be pulled through them. p

Within said casing is a spiral spring, E, which bears upwardly against a plunger, F, normally forcing said plunger into a position between the slots D,and extending upward to the junction of the long narrow lower parts, d,

of said slots with the larger upper parts of.

said slots. The inner face of the casing of course acts as a guide for said plunger.

The operation of the device is as follows: When a number o f lathes of tobacco, each holding several stalks,are to be lowered from their place o'f suspension in the drying-house, they are simply disengaged from the scaffold, and the cord C is passed below and around them in a loop, which is closed by passing the ferrule O through the large upper ends of the slots D, then forcing down the plunger F against the resistance of spring E, and passing ferrule O down behind the narrow lower parts', d, of said slots. The weight of the tobacco will draw on said cord so as to hold said ferrule in the narrow part d of the slot D on the side of the casing opposite to the bundle of tobacco, and will hold down the plunger F. The suspending cord or rope A is then lowered until the bundle touches the iioor. The plunger F is thereby relieved of the strain of the weight, and the spring E forces said plunger up, causing the ferrule C' to move from the narrow part cl of the slot D to a point opposite the larger upper part of said slot. The cord A is then raised, and the cord C, under the friction of the incumbent tobacco, pulls loose at the upper end, the ferrule passing freely through the large upper ends of slots D. The loop is thus opened and the tobacco left on the door.

The same device and procedure are obviously applicable to bags of grain and a great ICO ' variety of other articles.

' cords.

Having thus fully described my invention7 what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. A device for automatically lowering tobacco and other articles, consisting of a cord having one end iixed and the other detachable, a shell or casing which engages with the detachable end of said loop, and a plunger which automatically severs such engagement when the cord is :relieved from the weight of the tobacco, substantially as set forth.

2. The combination of a casing having a key-hole slot in its upper part with an upwardly spring pressed plunger operating within said easement in proximity to said slot, and a loop-cord for inclosing tobacco and other articles,havin g one end secured to said casing, and the other end provided with an enlargement adapted to be passed through the large upper part of said slot and be drawn down behind the narrow lower part thereof, substantially as set forth.

3. The casing B, consisting of shells B B2, each of which has in its upper part akey-hole shaped slot D, in combination with spring E and plunger F,- arranged and operating as stated within said casing, and the cord C, at- 3o tached at one end to'said casing, and provided with a conoidal ferrule, C', on its other end, y said ferrule being adapted to pass through the large upper parts, D', of the said slots, but not to pass through the narrow lower parts,d, 3 5 thereof, substantially as set forth.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my 'hand in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

MARTIN K. BRUBAKER.

Witnesses:

ALLAN A. HERR, I. H. HERR. 

